• JPMorgan Chase becomes the new issuer of the Apple Card

    January 8, 2026

    Apple announced Wednesday that JPMorgan Chase is the new issuer of the Apple Card, replacing Goldman Sachs. Apple said that the transition will likely take up to 24 months. While Apple is changing its banking partner, the Apple Card will continue to use the Mastercard network for payments. For consumers, nothing is changing at the moment, including for those applying for new cards. JPMorgan said that the deal would bring over $20 billion in card balances to Chase. The Wall Street Journal noted that Goldman Sachs is offloading this amount at a $1 billion discount. Goldman Sachs said that for…

  • Character.AI and Google settle with families in teen suicide and self-harm lawsuits

    January 8, 2026

    Character.AI and Google have reportedly agreed to settle multiple lawsuits regarding teen suicide and self-harm. According to The Wall Street Journal, the victims’ families and the companies are working to finalize the settlement terms. The families of several teens sued the companies in Florida, Colorado, Texas and New York. The Orlando, FL, lawsuit was filed by the mother of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III, who used a Character.AI chatbot tailored after Game of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen. The teen reportedly exchanged sexualized messages with the chatbot and occasionally referred to it as “his baby sister.” He eventually talked about joining “Daenerys” in…

  • OpenAI unveils ChatGPT Health, says 230 million users ask about health each week

    January 8, 2026

    OpenAI announced ChatGPT Health on Wednesday, which the company said will offer a dedicated space for users to have conversations with ChatGPT about their health. People already use ChatGPT to ask about medical issues; OpenAI says that over 230 million people ask health and wellness questions on the platform each week. But the ChatGPT Health product silos these conversations away from your other chats. That way, the context of your health won’t come up in standard conversations with ChatGPT. If people start chats about their health outside of the Health section, then the AI aims to nudge them to switch…

  • How China has grown to become Australia’s second-largest source of new vehicles

    January 8, 2026

    Australia’s 1,241,037-unit new-vehicle market in 2025 didn’t just deliver a record sales year, it also confirmed a significant shift in where the vehicles Australians are buying are being built. The biggest change over the last decade is the rise of China as a manufacturing source for the Australian market, something plain to see in annual VFACTS sales reports. In 2015, Australia’s total market was 1,155,408 vehicles. Japan was the dominant source country at 335,288 deliveries (29.0 per cent share), Thailand was second on 249,804 (21.6 per cent), and Korea followed with 140,172 (12.1 per cent). China was a fringe contributor,…

  • ChatGPT is launching a new dedicated Health portal

    January 8, 2026

    OpenAI is launching a new facet for its AI chatbot called ChatGPT Health. This new feature will allow users to connect medical records and wellness apps to ChatGPT in order to get more tailored responses to queries about their health. The company noted that there will be additional privacy safeguards for this separate space within ChatGPT, and said that it will not use conversations held in Health for training foundational models. ChatGPT Health is currently in a testing stage, and there are some regional restrictions on which health apps can be connected to the AI company’s platform. The announcement from…

  • Larry Page loosens business ties to CA amid state’s proposed wealth tax, report

    January 8, 2026

    Larry Page is starting to move some business assets away from California, as organizers work to get a proposed tax on billionaires added to the 2026 ballot, according to Business Insider. The Google co-founder has begun reincorporating several of his business entities in Delaware, including his family office, Koop; his influenza research company, Flu Lab; his aviation company, Dynatomics; and his flying car startup, One Aero. Page himself is reportedly no longer in the state, a source told Business Insider.  The news comes after the billionaire reportedly told others he was looking to leave the state amid the proposed tax,…

  • Sony-Honda reveals luxury electric SUV prototype

    January 8, 2026

    Afeela, Sony and Honda’s joint-venture electric vehicle (EV) brand, have unveiled their second model at CES and, as expected, it’s an SUV. Although it’s officially known as the Afeela Prototype 2026, it looks very close to being production ready, although the SUV won’t go on sale in the US until 2028. The company hasn’t disclosed any other details about the car, except to say that it will be more roomy than the Afeela 1 liftback-disguised-as-a-sedan. While the SUV’s exterior doesn’t share any panels with the sedan, the two are clearly penned by the same design team. It’s likely the two…

  • Samsung Display at CES 2026: Playful demos and mysterious prototypes

    January 8, 2026

    Samsung Display is the part of its giant parent company that makes OLEDs, LCDs and other screens for both Samsung devices and anyone else that can afford them. This year, it’s going all-in on OLEDs of the future. And that meant things like foldable displays with invisible creases, robots hurling basketballs at supertough OLED panels, and OLED screens packed into baffling form factors for no good reason. Creases Samsung Display The “seamless” foldable display that might be a part of a future foldable iPhone disappeared from the booth during our tour, reappearing when it was time to leave. (This is…

  • Waymo is rebranding its Zeekr robotaxi

    January 8, 2026

    Waymo has spent the past three years refining and testing a minivan-like vehicle made by Chinese automaker Zeekr. And now, before this robotaxi joins Waymo’s official commercial fleet, it’s getting a new name, the company told TechCrunch. The Zeekr RT robotaxi will now be named Ojai (pronounced “oh-hi”) — after the village in the Topatopa Mountains above Los Angeles that is known for its arts community and focus on wellness. Waymo’s official explanation, per spokesperson Chris Bonelli, is that the company determined the U.S. public isn’t familiar with the Zeekr brand. That branding may even carry through to the rider…

  • Toyota Prado GR Sport ruled out – for now

    January 8, 2026

    Toyota has ruled out a GR Sport version of its 250 Series Prado, with the Japanese brand’s local arm pouring cold water on the idea when asked by CarExpert – despite the flagship grade being part of the Yaris Cross, Corolla Cross and CH-R SUV lineups. A spicier GR Sport version of the new-generation Toyota RAV4 has been confirmed for Australian showrooms in 2026 – as has the first 300 Series LandCruiser GR Sport Hybrid, which will become the legendary off-roader’s new flagship. The GR Sport name is also expected to return as part of the new-generation HiLux ute range,…